November 3 2003

Yahoo is shuttering its enterprise software division
and has laid off an undisclosed number of employees as a result. ...
Analysts said Yahoo's de-emphasis also underscores the difficulty that
media-oriented companies have when selling directly to corporations. AOL
recently backpedaled from its plans to sell its AOL Instant Messenger for
enterprise users and has instead focused on partnering with established
players such as Reuters.
"I've been skeptical of Yahoo's ability to penetrate the enterprise
market almost since inception," said Derek Brown, an analyst at Pacific
Growth Equities. "I see enough business-focused software companies
having a difficult go at things. For Yahoo to crack that code would be
very challenging."